Various types of vessels are known for a person to wash themselves; for example bath tubs, sinks, shower trays or the like. All of these vessels generally require draining after use. Current trends are for faster draining vessels, particularly for bath tubs which contain significant volumes of water.
Drainage speed is dependent on a number of factors including the size of the outlet; larger outlets giving greater drainage speeds. However, large outlets are not always desirable. For example, the outlet is normally sealed by a plug which has to be lifted out of the outlet to permit drainage to commence and large plugs may be considered unsightly and difficult to remove due to the larger surface area which the weight of the water in the bath tub can act down on.
This is particularly a problem in bath tubs provided with an access door in a side of the bath. Such bath tubs are used by elderly or frail people who would normally struggle to get in and out of a normal bath tub. These bath tubs often accommodate a seat for the user to sit on, avoiding the need for the user to lower themselves fully into the bath tub. The provision of an access door and a seat means the sides of the bath tub are generally taller than those of a conventional bath tub. This exacerbates the drainage issue as the user has to wait until this taller bath tub has substantially emptied before opening the door.